Feds boot Tesla from probe into fatal California SUV crash after firm reveals info early

DETROIT – Federal safety investigators have booted electric car maker Tesla Inc. from the group investigating a fatal crash in California that involved an SUV operating with the company's Autopilot system. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it removed Tesla as a party to the investigation after the company prematurely made information public. "Tesla violated the party agreement by releasing investigative information before it was vetted and confirmed by the NTSB," the agency said in a statement. "Such releases of incomplete information often lead to speculation and incorrect assumptions about the probable cause of a crash." Tesla later issued a statement claiming that it withdrew from the agreement two days earlier after being told that it would be removed if it made additional statements before the NTSB finished its probe in the next 12 to 24 months.